The far-right Otzma Yehudit party has exited the coalition, fulfilling its threat to withdraw if Israel agrees to a ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Three ministers — National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, and Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf — have all submitted their resignation letters to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring that “from this point forward, the Otzma Yehudit party is no longer part of the coalition,” according to a statement from the party.
In his letter to Netanyahu, Otzma Yehudit chairman Ben Gvir takes pride in his “significant achievements under your leadership” but criticises what he describes as the prime minister’s “surrender-to-terror deal, which crosses all ideological boundaries.”
Ben Gvir states that the ceasefire represents “a total victory for terrorism,” adding that “we do not aim to destabilise the government you lead, but on ideological matters, we will vote in accordance with our beliefs and principles.”
“We will not rejoin the government discussions without a definitive victory against Hamas and the full achievement of the war’s objectives,” he stressed.
The party’s announcement also indicates that MKs Zvika Fogel, Limor Son Har-Melech, and Yitzhak Kroizer have submitted resignation letters from various committees to the coalition chairman.
